STATE OF CONNECTICUT LABOR DEPARTMENT CONNECTICUT STATE BOARD OF LABOR RELATIONS IN THE MATTER OF TEAMSTERS LOCAL 443 -AND- MAURICE W. SMITH DECISION NO. 4572 JANUARY 25, 2012 Case No. MUPP-29,177 A P P E A R A N C E S: Attorney Norman Zolot For the Union Maurice W. Smith Pro Se DECISION AND DISMISSAL OF COMPLAINT On May 6, 2011 Maurice W. Smith (the Complainant) filed a complaint with the Connecticut State Board of Labor Relations (the Labor Board). The complaint alleges that Teamsters Local 443 (the Union) violated the Municipal Employee Relations Act (MERA or the Act) breached its duty of fair representation by failing to process a grievance to Step Two of the collectively bargained grievance procedure. After the requisite preliminary steps had been taken, the matter came before the Labor Board for a hearing on January 9, 2012. Both parties appeared, were represented and allowed to present evidence, examine and cross-examine witnesses, and make argument. Upon conclusion of the presentation of the evidence, the Labor Board dismissed the Complainant s complaint from the bench. This is the written decision confirming that dismissal.
FINDINGS OF FACT 1. The Greater New Haven Transit District (the District) is a municipal employer pursuant to the Act. 2. The Union is an employee organization pursuant to the Act and at all material times has represented a bargaining unit of transit drivers and mechanics employed by the District. 3. At all relevant times the Complainant was employed by the District as a transit driver and was a member of the bargaining unit represented by the Union. 4. At all relevant times the District and the Union were parties to a collective bargaining agreement with effective dates of July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2011 (Ex. 3) that states, in pertinent part: ARTICLE 16 GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE Section 1. For the purpose of this Agreement, the term grievance means a dispute between the Employer and the Union concerning the interpretation, application, performance, or termination of this Agreement, or any alleged breach thereof, and shall be processed and disposed of in the following manner: Step 1. Grievances shall be submitted in writing to the Employer s Manager of Administration within fifteen (15) calendar days after the occurrence complained of. The fifteen (15) day period shall begin to run when the facts giving rise to the occurrence were known or reasonably should have been known to either the grievant or the Union. The Manager of Administration or the Manager s designee shall give an answer in writing within fifteen (15) calendar days of receipt of the grievance. Step 2. Any grievance not resolved at Step 1 may be appealed by a submission in writing within fifteen (15) calendar days of the issuance of the Step 1 Answer to the Executive Director or the Executive Director s designee....... Section 3. Any disposition of a grievance from which no appeal is taken or no answer given within the time limits specified herein shall be deemed resolved and shall not thereafter be considered subject to the grievance and arbitration provisions of this Agreement. Section 4. The time limits set in this Article must be strictly adhered to unless waived in writing by the parties in a particular case.... ARTICLE 22 MISCELLANEOUS Section 1.... Discipline shall be administered when justified by just cause.... 2
5. Complainant has been employed by the District for approximately sixteen years and has filed over twenty grievances during his tenure. 6. On March 16, 2011 the District notified Complainant in writing that on March 14, 2011 an Associate Manager observed Complainant talking on a cell phone while operating a District vehicle and that Complainant was being suspended for seven days from March 17, 2011 through March 23, 2011. (Ex. 4). 7. Complainant obtained a grievance form from Mary Barber (Barber), the Union shop steward and fellow transit driver. Complainant filed a written Step One grievance with the District. It is Complainant s practice to file a grievance on the day following his receipt of notice of discipline. 8. Complainant received a District denial of the Step One grievance in March or April of 2011. Complainant asked Barber by telephone to provide him with a Step Two form. When Complainant did not receive the form he left several messages on Barber s voice mail. 9. On or about May 5, 2011 the District imposed a ten day suspension on Complainant for an unrelated incident. Complainant inquired of the District at that time as to the status of his grievance and the District informed Complainant that it had not received a Step Two filing and that it considered the grievance lapsed. CONCLUSIONS OF LAW 1. It is a prohibited practice within the meaning of Section 7-470(b)(3) of the Act for a union or its agents to breach the duty of fair representation owed to all its members pursuant to Section 7-468(d) of the Act by engaging in conduct that is arbitrary, discriminatory, or in bad faith. 2. The Complainant failed to meet his burden of proving that the Union breached its duty of fair representation. DISCUSSION This case arises from certain discipline which ultimately was uncontested under the contractual grievance procedure. Complainant contends that the Union breached its duty of fair representation by failing to provide him with a certain form and by failing to warn him that the Step Two filing deadline was imminent. The Union contends that on the basis of his past experience the Complainant was well versed in grievance processing and that there is no evidence of improper Union motive. Based on the record before us we find that the Grievant has failed to meet his burden of proof to establish a breach of the Union s duty of fair representation and accordingly we dismiss the complaint. Our standard for the duty of fair representation is based on the United States Supreme Court s reasoning in Vaca v. Sipes, 386 U.S. 411 (1967), that a union s status as exclusive employee representative imposes a statutory obligation to secure the interests of all the members without hostility or discrimination toward any, to exercise its discretion with complete good faith and honesty, and to avoid arbitrary conduct. Id. at 177. In affirming this basic principle we have long required evidence that a union s conduct towards a bargaining unit 3
member is motivated by hostility, bad faith, or dishonesty in order to establish a violation of the duty. State of Connecticut, Department of Developmental Services (Christopher Walsh), Decision 4397-A (2011); NEHCEU, District 1199 (Joe Rosa), Decision No. 4448 (2010); Local 1565, Council 4, AFSCME (David Bishop), Decision No. 3510 (1997); City of Bridgeport (Kenneth Brown), Decision No 1963 (1980). Mere negligence on the part of the Union in processing the grievance is not sufficient grounds to prove a violation of the statute. Local 1565, Council 4, AFSCME (David Bishop), supra at p. 10; see Amadeo v. State Board of Labor Relations, Superior Court, judicial district of New Britain, Docket No. CV 98 04926 (July 21, 1999); Council 4, AFSCME (Theresa Carabine), Decision No. 3939 (2004); Council 4, AFSCME (Mahesh Talwar), Decision No. 3782 (2000). 1 Our case law requires us to evaluate the legality of the Union s conduct, not its wisdom or quality. University of Connecticut AAUP (Judith Heald), Decision No. 2714 p. 6 (1989). At the outset we note that the record before us is woefully inadequate and cannot support a finding that the Union breached its duty of fair representation. Complainant has not offered a copy of the initial grievance he filed nor has he produced the Step One denial by the District he admits he received. As such, we have no non-speculative means ascertaining the due date for the Step Two filing at issue. Complainant would fault Barber for not providing him a Step Two form yet commencement of a Step Two appeal under Article 16 requires only a submission in writing... As to Barber s alleged failure to advise Complainant of the Step Two due date, Complainant admits he filed numerous grievances in prior years and we conclude that he could have readily ascertained the deadline himself. Even if Barber failed to provide a form or to warn of a pending deadline, mere negligence does not amount to a breach of the Union s duty of fair representation. In addition, we note that as in Council 4, AFSCME (Theresa Carabine), supra, Complainant did not testify or present evidence that the Union discriminated against h[im] by purposely keeping materials or information from him and as such there is no evidence of improper motive. Id. at 5. In summary, we conclude that the evidence fails to establish that the Union breached its duty of fair representation. The record does not support a finding that the Union s conduct was perfunctory or that its actions were based on any arbitrary, capricious, bad faith or discriminating consideration. Accordingly, we dismiss the complaint. 1 This is the same standard used by federal courts applying private sector labor law. United Steelworkers of America v. Rawson, 495 U.S. 362, 372 373 (1990). 4
ORDER By virtue of and pursuant to the power vested in the Connecticut State Board of Labor Relations by the Municipal Employee Relations Act, it is hereby ORDERED that the complaint filed herein be, and the same hereby is, DISMISSED. CONNECTICUT STATE BOARD OF LABOR RELATIONS Patricia V. Low Patricia V. Low Chairman Wendella Ault Battey Wendella Ault Battey Board Member 5
CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that a copy of the foregoing was mailed postage prepaid this 25th day of January, 2012 to the following: Maurice W. Smith 37 Blake Street RRR New Haven, CT 06511 Attorney Norman Zolot 264 Amity Road RRR Woodbridge, CT 06525 Harry B. Elliott, Jr., General Counsel CONNECTICUT STATE BOARD OF LABOR RELATIONS 6